4 Things You Can Do Now to Prevent Heart Disease Later

You are never too young or too old to take care of your heart. Preventing heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases means making tough but smart lifestyle choices now that will surely pay off the rest of your existence. We all know how poor diet, lack of physical activities, and unhealthy habits can take their toll over the years. That’s why it’s important to bear in mind that practically anyone at any age at this time can greatly benefit from simple steps to keep their heart strong and healthy during each decade of life.

How to Cut the Risk of Developing Heart Disease

You can do a lot to lower your odds of getting heart disease which is a debilitating condition that’s considered as one of the leading causes of death in the US. Taking action will improve your health — and, possibly, save your life. Get going on these four ways to get on track.

Quit smoking. Smoking has been discovered as one of the primary risk factors for heart attack, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Not only does it damage organs in your body but it also worsens the many other risk factors of heart problems. Smoking cessation has been confirmed to decrease blood pressure, improve circulation, and increase supply of oxygen. In fact, even a single year of being smoke-free can already reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%! In addition to quitting smoking though, you should try to avoid others who smoke since secondhand smoke can also have negative impacts to your health.

Eat a healthy diet. Maintaining a good diet plays a huge role in preventing heart disease especially if you have a genetic predisposition of acquiring such condition later in life. Most research studies have found that a diet high in whole grains, raw fruits and veggies, and omega-3 fatty acids help a lot in preventing heart issues. This also means that you have to avoid habits that worsen the condition like consuming high amounts of sugar and salt, foods with hydrogenated vegetable oil, and alcoholic beverages. Don’t forget to watch your calorie intake, too.

Exercise and manage your weight. Another crucial to lowering your risk of acquiring heart disease is regular exercise. Experts highly recommend for all of us to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Physical activity doesn’t have to be intensive as simple activities like cleaning your house, walking your dog, or performing yard work can already count as exercise. The key is to stay active on a regular basis. The ultimate goal of this is for you to keep fit and maintain a healthy weight.

Avoid stress. Stress affects all of us in different ways. Though it’s still not well established, there seems to be a link between people who experience high amounts of chronic stress and heart disease. Stress can lead to pain and headaches, sleep loss, fatigue, and even for the heart to work harder than normal which will only aggravate any other risk factors you may already have. Some of the ways to reduce stress are by performing relaxation exercises like yoga, getting enough sleep, and spending more time with family and friends. All of these contribute to a healthier and a much more relaxed lifestyle.